For me, Lucas Moura is like the next step up from the Steven Bergwijn model in the showroom. This is to say that neither of them is in the same bracket as the top-line editions that are available. Mixed bag is one way of describing our diminutive Brazilian, not quite reliable enough might be another.
Only Eric Dier found more success in this discipline, but he attempted far fewer runs than his teammate. Moura also lost possession, an infuriating, 17 times…
You are all correct really.
Part of our recent malaise (BC obvs.) has been we looked scared to try anything so – they would pass sideways better than – well Vinny Sideways with the next step being a cheeky back pass to Hugo.
So being good cop/bad cop here
At least Lucas runs at teams and you aint going to win many games sitting back a la Nuno ball.
On the other hand he does find too many blind alleys or loses the ball / no-one can defend 17 times.
It struck me over the weekend watching MOTD if you attack attack attack a defender will eventually make a mistake and hand you a goal (plus OGs. deflections ).
Same here, I won’t buy into the love-in of his methods until I see him manage a side where losing is a very big deal
I’d be keen to see Bielsa manage a team with bigger names/budgets
I hear you, but by the same token, one could argue an equally accurate case for Erik Lamela – he only cost us €17M as none of his add-ons were triggered
Granted that has always been his Achilles heel, but what can we expect from a £20m player? I think sometimes his brain fails to catch up with his feet! But 2nd half yesterday he was deadly and should have had 2 assists instead of 1. He terrified the Leeds defence single handed.
You are correct in that he should be expected to lose the ball more than most others on the park if he’s always trying to take on a couple of defenders.
That didn’t annoy me so much as his decision making with time on the ball.
People forget how much Lucas cost; he was only in the region of £20m from PSG I believe and we only got him because he fell into Levy’s bargain basement category. He wasn’t a £65m N’Dombele. I don’t know about you but I think he’s been excellent value for that small layout. Plays week in and week out and always gives his all for the badge. Defenders are terrified of him. I also think like in the clip above when he breaks through on a dribble and has what looks like a shot on target blocked, it’ a bit rich saying that was a lost possession!
His sort of player loses possession because he always takes people on. His stats are bound to look worse in that respect than a safety first player. He was poor in the first half but 2nd he was largely responsible for our resurgence I thought.
Not really fair, he set up Kane for what should have been a goal and then made the equaliser. People are too obsessed with him wasting the ball, if people don’t show for him what is he supposed to do?
His stats reflect a player who is willing to take risks. He should have got 2 assists if Kane had finished.
Imagine those Leeds man marking tactics vs Liverpool’s front three – would be a cricket score.
They were lucky Son and Kane were low in form and confidence, I really don’t get Bielsa – I’d have kittens supporting that Leeds side.
I was, in the first half. Watching him run past a player and then losing the ball is frustrating.
He did get an assist, which is good, and was much improved after the break, as was the rest of the team, but he needs to be consistent, not a headless chicken. 17 times he lost possession is criminal.
Not his biggest fan, but for once there was an assist for a goal and end product from his runs.
Turning the ball over seventeen times against top class opponents though is asking for trouble and will cost us games.
I think everyone was saying he’d beat a man then waste the ball – which was really really frustrating.
Couldn’t believe there was some geezer on the live blog here yesterday slagging him off!!